Traction-engine



mammal.) W. BSTER.

TRAGTION ENGINE.

No. 331,593. Patented Dee. 1,1885.

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ATTORNEY liNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL \VALTER XVEBSTEB, OF CHRISTIANA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACTION-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,593, dated December 1, 18 85.

Application tiled September 524, 1885. Serial No. 177,970. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL WALTER WEB- sTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Christiana, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traction-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for guiding traction-engines by the power of the engine itself; and it consists in the construction and combination of the shafts, shifting devices, bearings, and gearing, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a road-engine embodying my invent-ion, the fly-wheel being partly broken away. Fig. 2 represents a plan view, in detail, of the pivoted front axle, the shaft which governs it, and the chains connecting them. Fig. 3 represents a detail plan view of the shiftinggear and the doubly-faced pulley with which it operates. Fig- 4 represents a detail view of the pivoted forward bearing of shaft 2, and Fig. 5 represents a detail view of the disk and cam.

A designates the boiler; B, the smoke-stack; G, the steam dome; D, the furnace-casing; E, the cylinder; F, the valve-chest; G, theinlet-pipe for live steam; H, the rod of the slidevalve; I, the piston-rod; J, the connectingrod extending from the latter to a disk, K, on the driving-shaft L; N, a second connectingrod or pitman extending back to rod H from a cam, O, on said shaft; 15, the rear transporting wheels; Q, the forward transportingwheels; R, the pivoted axle of the latter; S, the lower transverse shaft,which is connected to the ends of said axle by chains T T; and U, the inclined hand-operated shaft, provided with a handle, a, at its upper end and a worm, V, at its lower end, the latter meshing with a worm-wheel, W, on shaft S.

In the parts thus far described there is no novelty, consequently I do not deem it necessary to elaborately explain them and their uses. The shafts all have their bearings in brackets attached to the body of the engine.

' The cylinder and attached parts are similarly connected thereto. The connection between disks K O and rods J N is made by eccen-. trically-arranged studs on the former. The axle R is pivoted at its middle to a boss, A, extending downward from the front end'of the boiler. The handle a is arranged within easy reach of the steerer as he rides behind, and by turning it to one side or the other he causes a corresponding turning of the shafts S U, thereby drawing on one or the other of the chains T T, these being wound on shaft S in opposite directions. This of course inclines the forward axle, R, to the right or the left, as the case may be, thereby guiding the engine accordingly. This method of guiding depends, of course, on the motion of the human arm,and is not sufficiently rapid for the exigencies of steam travel. I have therefore devised asupplemental or substitute guiding device, which, though controlled by the steerer, derives its force from the engine itself. To this end I mount on the main shaft L a drum or pulley, X, which may be in one piece with the flywheel X, and is provided with abroad annular groove presenting two opposed beveled faces, a; m. This groove receives a beveled gear or friction-pulley, Z, which may be shifted at will laterally into contact with either one of said faces, the width of the groove being too great for its engagement with both faces at once. This shifting-gear Z is mounted on one end of an upwardly-inclined shaft, z, the lower and rear end of which carries a bevel-gear, a, which meshes with asimilar beVeLgear, 2 on shaft U. The shaft 2' is madein two sections,

the lower section being stationary, though having rotary motion, while the upper section is connected to it by a double joint, 2 so that a certain amount of play may be allowed to the pulley and said upper section without disturbing or straining the lower section of said shaft. The shifting is effected by means of a lever, Z, which is pivoted to a bracket on the side of the boiler casing, and connected at its forward end to the pivoted forward bearing, Z of shaft 2, said bearing having lateral vibration on the bracket which supports it. The rear end of the lever Z is adapted to engage with a notched rack, Z fixed to the rear part of the engine. By shifting this lever to the right or the left and engaging it with the appropriatenotch the shiftinggear Z is held in contact with one or the other of the surfaces ms of pulley X, and the rotary motion of the latter, in one direction or the other, as chosen, is communicated through shaft 2, gearwheels 2' 2 shaft U, worm V, and worm-wheel W to the shaft S, which Winds chain T or T, as the case may be, and by its draft thereon turns the forward axle, R, as aforesaid. As the force exerted in this guiding is wholly that of the steam in cylinder E, the arm of the steerer and operator is greatly relieved, and the guiding is much more speedy and reliable. The shiftinggear and the faces of the pulley engaging therewith may of course be provided with teeth instead of being left plain, as shown, and in practice the toothed construc tion will usually be found much the best.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim-as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The guideshaft U, in combination with the shifting-gear and its lever, the main shaft and its opposed faces, the shafts z and S, the

connecting-gearing, the chains T T, and the axle R, substantially as set forth.

2. The shaft 2, consisting of two sections connected by a double joint, in combination with the lever Z and shifting-gear Z, the pulley X, having opposed faces arm, the shaft which carries said pulley, the cylinder and piston for driving said shaft, the pivoted front axle, R, the shaft and chains for turning said axle, and the necessary intervening devices,

substantially as set forth.

3. The pivoted bearing Z and doublyjointed sectional shaft 2, in combination with the shifting-gear and its lever, the main shaft with its opposed faces or gear-wheels, the cylinder, piston, pivoted front axle, and necessary intervening devices, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL XVALTER WEBSTER.

Witnesses:

DANIEL WEBSTER, ALLAN A. HERR. 

